


Lost And Found

by thelonelywriter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Banter, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Face Punching, Happy Ending, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Invisibility Cloak, Kissing, Light Angst, M/M, Mirror of Erised, Nightmares, Sneaking Around, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-20
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-08-16 04:22:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8086969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelonelywriter/pseuds/thelonelywriter
Summary: To get away from his nightmares, Harry takes to wandering the castle at night. Though he soon finds that Draco has taken to the same thing. But is Draco doing more than just wandering the castle?





	

**Author's Note:**

> So, this all began because I've seen the trope of Harry taking Draco to the Mirror of Erised like a bajillion times so I figured I had to write it. I don't know if you guys consider this angsty, I kinda do and I didn't really mean for it to get this angsty, there's really no smut which disappoints me a bit but also there's not too much fluff so ??? I don't know what happened guys, it's not too long or plotty or anything, if I wasn't so lazy I probably could've made it longer and better and more plotty but I wasn't really in the mood for that so just have this.

It all started out with the nightmares. Going back to Hogwarts for an Eighth Year was obviously going to be triggering in one way or another, Harry couldn’t deny, so he wasn’t too surprised when the nightmares started.

They didn’t come every night, but they were there more often than not. Harry would wake up sweating in the middle of the night, feeling more alone than he had in awhile, even though he knew that he wasn’t the only one with nightmares. The War had taken a toll on everyone, and though it wasn’t always obvious, it was apparent that everyone was feeling the aftershocks of it. Harry wasn’t alone, even though he felt like he nearly always was.

Harry wasn’t quite sure what to do about the nightmares, he didn’t really want to tell anyone even though he knew that probably anyone he told would understand. But it felt like a private thing more than anything, it felt like something that he had to deal with by himself. He wasn’t quite sure what to do about them, he was losing sleep and it was obvious to his friends that he was. He found it extremely hard to fall back asleep after waking up from something so horrific, however. So, he finally decided that he wouldn’t.

Good idea or not, Harry didn’t quite care anymore when he took to roaming the castle again at night. When he woke up from a nightmare, he would grab his Invisibility Cloak and simply wander around. At first, he wasn’t sure if it made things worse or not, seeing all the places in the castle, places that people had died, places that had had to be rebuilt. But, Harry found himself straying away from those parts of the castle and finding new parts instead. New corridors and staircases, places that didn’t have awful memories. And he found that it wasn’t so bad, it was almost relaxing being able to wander around with no specific place to go in mind, nothing to solve. And it was great, truly, Harry thought he had found the answer. But then, Draco came into frame.

Harry was wandering the castle once again, shaking off a bad dream when he heard footsteps echoing from around the corridor. Momentarily forgetting that he was under the Cloak, Harry slipped under a staircase, listening to the sound of mellow footsteps approaching. Harry waited and watched until finally none other than Draco Malfoy wandered down the corridor, looking up at the portraits and the paintings, hands in his pockets. Harry narrowed his eyes at the sight of him. He didn’t _look_ like he was up to some evil plot. But then again, this was Draco Malfoy. 

Harry watched him turn down another corridor, his footsteps slowly fading. He furrowed his brow once the he was gone, once the sound of his footsteps had faded completely. What on Earth was Draco doing wandering the castle at night? 

Harry tried to shake the thought of Draco over the next week or so, but then again, Harry did have the ability to become obsessed with things he shouldn’t be obsessing over. He thought that he had finally gotten over it when it happened again. 

Harry was roaming the castle, going nowhere in particular when he heard footsteps. This time, remembering he was under the Cloak, he simply drifted to the side of the hallway and let Draco pass by him. Once again, Draco didn’t really look like he was up to anything. But if he was, Harry would have to stop it before it got worse.

\---

Harry found over the course of the next few weeks that Draco seemed to like to roam the castle at night just like Harry. He never seemed to be up to something, only seemed to be walking around, stretching his legs. Though, the fact that he was doing so in the middle of the night concerned Harry. Harry thought he was doing a wonderful job of following Draco without getting his nose broken this time thank you very much when one night, whilst following Draco down a particularly long corridor, Draco stopped slowly in his tracks and let out a sigh. “Potter, I know you’re there,” he sighed out almost quietly. Harry held his breath. “I know you’ve got the Cloak, and I know that you’ve been following me for a few weeks now,” Draco went on, turning towards where Harry was standing, eyes searching the hallway. Harry sighed, figuring running away would do no good as he pulled the Cloak off, his form shimmering into view.

“How’d you know?” Harry questioned.

“You’re not very stealthy and you’re not very quiet. Honestly, Potter, did Sixth Year tell you nothing about following me? You’re damn lucky I didn’t break your nose again,” Draco went on, eyes roaming Harry’s form.

“Why have you been wandering the castle at night?” Harry inquired. Draco raised a brow.

“Why have you been following me? Think I’m behind some master plan to raise the Dark Lord again?” Draco joked dryly. Harry stayed silent. “Listen, just stop following me, alright? I’m likely not even going to be here for much longer, the Azkaban trials are coming up so I’ll finally be out of your hair,” Draco told Harry, and there was something in his voice that Harry couldn’t stand.

“I’m testifying for you,” Harry blurted out right as Draco began to turn on his heel. Draco paused and blinked. 

“Yes, so, there you have it. I won’t be here much longer,” Draco went on.

“I’m telling them the truth about you,” Harry told Draco. Draco smirked a little.

“That I’m evil and terrible and I’ve tried to kill you more than once?” Draco questioned.

“That you saved my life,” Harry said. This seemed to hit Draco in a way neither of them seemed to be expecting. He looked genuinely confused when he looked back up at Harry. “At the Manor, you didn’t give me away. You knew it was me, but you didn’t give me away. You saved my life,” Harry went on. Draco blinked, appearing surprised out of many other things that Harry couldn’t quite put his finger on. But then he seemed back to his cynical self, yet there was a sadness there that Harry really didn’t want to see. He couldn’t quite figure out why, however.

“That’s not going to stop them from giving me a sentence,” Draco managed before turning his back on Harry, beginning to walk away. “Leave me alone, Potter. I won’t hesitate to break your nose again,” he grumbled as he turned the corner for another corridor. Harry frowned. His curiosity was piqued now, and he couldn’t help it. Why would Draco be wandering the castle at night if not for some scheme?

\---

It was weeks later when Harry found Draco again, and this time he heard him more than saw him. And it wasn’t footsteps he heard either, it was crying.

Harry had been passing Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom on his way to a certain corridor he knew when he heard distinct crying that was definitely not Myrtle’s. It was a boy’s. It was Draco’s. Harry had heard that exact crying before.

Harry knew that it was terrible, it was a bad idea. The last time he had followed Draco to this bathroom he had ended up almost killing him with a spell that he had no idea the consequences. But, he couldn’t help it. He leaned against the door, listening to Draco sob once more.

“Hush, darling, hush, it’s the middle of the night, you should be in bed,”

Harry heard Myrtle croon. Draco choked out a sob.

“I can’t. I can’t sleep anymore, not after everything that happened,” he told her.

“I thought the trial went well. You’re not going to Azkaban, you don’t have to worry,” Myrtle soothed.

“I deserved it!” Draco snapped before letting out another sob. He sniffed a little as though trying to collect himself. “If it wasn’t for Potter, stupid fucking Potter, then I would have gone, they would have sent me.”

“But, what Harry said was true. You saved him, Draco,” Myrtle went on. Draco seemed to cry only harder.

“They should have sent me to Azkaban, they should have sent me,” Draco cried. 

“Just because you’ve made bad choices, that doesn’t mean you’re a bad person, love,” Myrtle went on softly. Harry could tell she was doing his best to calm him, but Draco didn’t seem easy to calm.

“I never meant,” Draco began, quiet. He took a breath, swallowing and sighing. “I never wanted to hurt anyone,” he went on before he was wracked with sobs once more. Harry could hear Myrtle trying to hush him, but Draco was still crying when Harry finally pulled himself away from the door. He felt something in his heart crack almost, and he had no idea why. Why should he feel bad for Draco? Why?

\---

Harry never stopped wandering the castle at night, but he did stop trying to find Draco, he tried to avoid Draco as best he could. Though, for some reason, part of him wanted to seek out Draco. Part of him wanted to talk to Draco. Part of him almost wanted to… calm Draco. Draco had been so calm at the trial, when everyone was speaking about him, when he was speaking for himself. But then compared to what Harry overheard in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom…

Draco had managed to get off with a supervised use of magic sentence, he was to stay at Hogwarts and all magic he did was supervised. Harry thought that the sentence was fairly fitting, not too harsh, but apparently Draco felt the exact opposite.

It was a week or two after Harry had overheard Draco in Myrtle’s bathroom when he saw him again. He heard footsteps that he just knew by now were Draco’s, and he tried to stay as silent as possible, tried to barely breath as Draco passed by him. But, apparently Draco was better at knowing where Harry was than Harry thought because he slowed, seemingly debating it before sighing. “What did I say about following me?” he sighed, turning, looking for Harry. Harry sighed too as he shrugged off the Cloak.

“I wasn’t following you, I was walking around alone and then you happened along. Apparently we have the same ideas of where to wander at night,” Harry mused.

“Aren’t you a little old for following people around?” Draco inquired, though his voice didn’t sound as much biting as… tired. He just sounded really tired.

“I told you, I wasn’t following you around,” Harry protested.

“What are you doing then, wandering the castle at night? There’s no point to it, is there?” Draco went on. Harry sighed.

“It’s better than lying awake in bed thinking about everything that happened,” Harry told Draco, his voice gone quiet. Draco paused. He seemed to think over it before looking over at Harry. The two stared for a moment and it was as if some sort of understanding passed between the two. Draco cleared his throat, looking away. It was hard to hold Harry’s gaze like that for long.

“Suppose you’re right,” he muttered before turning, heading off in the opposite direction without another word. Harry watched him go and wondered if maybe Draco was wracked with the same nightmares Harry had. Maybe even worse.

\---

It happened once again, Draco and Harry running into each other in the middle of the night. It was no surprise, not really, not when Draco had actually been hoping to run into Harry. But this time, Draco didn’t coax Harry into taking off the Cloak, he just let him be. It was almost easier that way, easier to say what he wanted to say, what he felt like he had to say. “Potter, about what you said at my hearing,” Draco began. He didn’t even look at Harry, not yet. “Thank you,” he finally managed, after a long pause. “Thank you,” he repeated. “I didn’t deserve the sentence they gave me,” he said softly.

“You don’t deserve Azkaban,” Harry told Draco, about to take the Cloak off. But Draco turned away, and Harry felt that Draco didn’t really want to see him. Maybe it was better if he was invisible. Maybe it was easier that way.

“Of all the people to say that, you would be the last person I’d imagine to say it,” Draco said quietly.

“It’s true,” Harry told Draco. Draco swallowed thickly and looked Harry’s way, directly where he was under the Cloak as if Draco could actually see under the Cloak. And then Draco was turning away, stalking down the hallway with his head down, some sort of unknown humble gesture that made Harry’s heart ache. Seeing Draco like this, seeing him so… broken, brought Harry back to Sixth Year. And it hurt. Harry almost wished that Draco would keep up the biting snark and rude insults that he threw Harry’s way since they were kids. This Draco was… sad. And lonely. Harry could tell how lonely he was. And it was almost like something was missing with no one to yell at him across the Great Hall, no one to bump into him in the hallways. And it left some sort of strange emptiness in Harry’s chest that Harry couldn’t explain. And he didn’t like it. And he was going to fix it. Because Harry was determined now, and he wasn’t about to turn back, even if turning back was _probably_ the smart thing to do.

\---

It wasn’t much longer before Harry caught Draco in the halls again. And this time Harry had to admit that he made a mistake when he came up right behind Draco with Draco not even noticing because apparently Draco was distracted. So, it was reasonable when Harry began to speak that Draco got a little (or a lot) startled because it was the middle of the night and the castle was empty and the hallway was (so he thought) empty so who the fuck was right behind him. So, Draco did what his instincts had told him and he turned on his heel and clocked an invisible Harry right square in the face. He was only mediocrely surprised when it connected with something though it appeared there was nothing there. And then he realized- “Potter, you fucking _idiot_ ,” he hissed. “Why the _fuck_ would you sneak up on me like that?” Draco went on, the simmering anger in his stomach subsiding a bit when he saw Harry slip off the Cloak and was met with the sight of him gripping his nose that was gushing blood.

“Why the fuck would you punch me in the nose?” Harry hissed back, voice nasally. Draco rolled his eyes.

“I thought the hallway was empty and I wasn’t expecting you and excuse me if I am a little jumpy in the middle of the fucking night,” Draco snapped. Harry glared at him and Draco let out a breath. “Did I break it?” he questioned after a pause. Harry’s glare intensified.

“Yes, you fucking broke it you twat,” Harry said. Draco sighed.

“Let me set it,” he said. Harry’s eyes widened.

“Oh no, no way are you touching me.”

“Potter. Just let me-”

“No.”

There was a pause where they stared at each other. 

“Fine. I won’t clean up the blood either,” Draco sniffed, turning away. Harry grit his teeth.

“Fine,” he snapped. Draco sighed and stepped forwards, bringing his hands up to Harry’s face. “Just, give me a countdown of when you’re going to-”

But then Draco shifted the bone back into place with a loud ‘crack’ interrupting Harry who let out a yelp at the suddenness of the situation. 

“Ow!” Harry exclaimed, hands coming up to grip at his nose. Draco rolled his eyes once more before pulling out his wand. He began to point it at Harry’s face but Harry recoiled. 

“Oh, relax, I’m just getting rid of the blood,” Draco told him before muttering a quick cleaning spell and getting the blood to disappear. “Just, pinch it for a few more minutes, the bleeding will stop,” Draco informed Harry as he put his wand back. Harry sighed, pinching the bridge of it.

“Thanks,” he mumbled after a pause. 

“Yeah, whatever,” Draco mumbled in reply. There was another pause before Draco looked back over at Harry. “Listen, I told you to stop following me, so I’m a little curious as to why you’re still following me,” Draco said. Harry glanced between Draco and the floor. 

“I just… want to know why you go walking around the castle at night. I told you why I do it,” Harry reasoned. Draco pursed his lips.

“I’m not up to some evil plot if that’s what you think it is,” Draco began. “I just… like walking around at night. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?” Draco questioned. 

“It’s more than that and you know it,” Harry said softly. Draco swallowed. There was really no good comeback for that. There was really no other explanation other than the one at hand, the real one. Did Draco really want to tell Harry that? Did he really want to talk to him as though he were a _friend_?

“Listen, Potter, I’m flattered that you’ve taken some sort of interest in me, I have no idea why, but,” Draco made some flamboyant hand gesture for lack of words. “It’s getting old, alright. So maybe you could just leave me alone and stop following me so I don’t have to break your nose for a third time,” Draco hissed. Harry blinked up at him almost expectantly and something inside of Draco almost melted in some way. 

“You know, half of the time I’m not following you on purpose. I’m doing the same thing you do and I’m wandering the castle at night. I run into you under the Invisibility Cloak and you make conversation with me if it can even be called conversation. You can choose to ignore me,” Harry went on and it was almost hard to take him seriously when he had his head tipped back and was pinching the bridge of his nose in a way that made his voice come out all nasally. 

“Well, you’re hard to ignore, alright?” Draco snapped. 

“And why’s that?” Harry went on.

“Because I feel like you’re watching me! I feel like you’re trying to catch me doing something evil! I feel like you’re, you’re-”

“I’m just trying to figure out why you’re always wandering around!” Harry shot back.

“Because I have nightmares, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear? I can barely sleep at night at all so I come out here to try and get my mind off of everything. I can’t just lay in my fucking bed and think about every single thing I did wrong, I can’t. So I don’t. I come out here to try and take my mind off of things but it’s hard when you’re out here reminding me of everything I’ve done,” Draco snapped, his breathing picking up.

“How do I remind you of what you’ve done?” Harry inquired, voice gone soft.

“You’re the opposite of me. You’re everything I wanted to be. You did everything right, you did everything for the right cause. What I did… what I did I did for my family, but I knew it was wrong, I knew I was on the wrong side. I didn’t want to be what I’ve become, I never wanted to!” Draco nearly yelled. The air around them was tense and stiff and pulsing with this energy that neither of them could explain. Draco’s fists were balled by his sides and his chest was rising and falling quickly. Harry was slowly letting go of his nose and staring at Draco, though Draco couldn’t hold his gaze for long.

“What do you want me to do? Shall we make plans then on who gets to walk where in the castle on which nights? I walk near the Hufflepuff dorms on Wednesday and you go near the Ravenclaws?” Harry joked dryly, a bit of snark in his tone. Draco took a deep breath and looked away.

“I just want you to leave me alone,” Draco said quietly.

“You’re lonely as it is,” Harry told Draco softly as if he didn’t know.

“It’s not your place to tell me what I am,” Draco snapped.

“The War fucked a lot of us up,” Harry went on, another obvious statement. “And not to sound stuck up, but I was kind of at the center of it,” Harry continued. Draco snuck a glance at him. “You think you’re alone but you’re not.”

The sentence made something else in Draco melt. _You think you’re alone but you’re not_. How could that be true? How could Harry just say that? 

“That’s not true,” Draco protested, but the protest was weak.

“You know that it is,” Harry told him. The two caught eye contact again, and held it, and something silent pulsed between them for a moment.

“What are you trying to get to here?” Draco questioned quietly. 

“I’m here. And I’m going through some of the same stuff you’re going through. I’ve got the nightmares too, I can’t always sleep. We both wander the castle at night,” Harry continued on. Draco squinted at him. Harry caught it and took a deep breath, swallowing. If Draco was right Harry seemed almost… nervous? “Nevermind,” he said, shaking his head. “Just, I’ll leave you alone,” he mumbled, beginning to pull the Cloak back on.

“Potter, wait,” Draco said, reaching a hand out. Harry glanced down at it and Draco suddenly felt awkward. He closed his hand into a fist, then slowly dropped it by his side. “Just… I don’t care, alright? If I happen to see you. I don’t mind it,” he told Harry who raised an eyebrow.

“You seemed to have adapted quite an opposite position a few minutes ago,” Harry pointed out. Draco rolled his eyes.

“Just, shut up. I’ll see you,” he mumbled before turning on his heel and walking away. It wasn’t much, but for some reason it made Harry smile. Draco may have just broken his nose again but it wasn’t even on purpose. Something flittered in Harry’s chest. Something like hope.

\---

It was a few days later when Harry passed by Draco in the hall, once again in the middle of the night when the castle was empty. Draco slowed his walk when he heard the shuffle of Harry’s feet. “Couldn’t sleep?” he questioned.

“When is there a time when I can?” Harry questioned, pulling off the Cloak. Draco turned to him.

“Don’t know why you go around in that bloody thing all the time. You’re loud enough so that anyone could hear you,” Draco mused. Harry shrugged.

“Maybe you’re just really good at knowing when it’s me. You’ve had training in the past,” Harry joked, earning a huff from Draco.

“Point taken,” Draco replied. A slightly awkward pause graced the air.

“Off to anywhere in particular?” Harry questioned. Draco shrugged. 

“Not really. Figured I’d just keep to the regular corridors tonight,” Draco told Harry.

“The greenhouses are nice to wander to sometimes,” Harry pointed out. Draco raised an eyebrow at him.

“You go outside the castle?”

“You don’t?”

“Well, no, I’ve never quite thought of it,” Draco said before giving Harry a look. “Figures you would though. Bloody Gryffindors with their bravery. It’s going to get you killed one day,” Draco told Harry who quirked a grin.

“Ah, the whole being killed thing is a bit last year though, don’t you think?” Harry joked, earning a snort from Draco. Draco paused. Interesting. Harry could actually be funny. That was possibly the first time Draco had laughed at him because of a joke instead of laughing at him because Draco was making Harry himself the joke. Harry seemed to notice this and grinned a little bit more.

“Were you planning on going to the greenhouses tonight?” Draco questioned. Harry shrugged.

“I was thinking about it. The Venomous Tentacula are in bloom though, you’ve got to dodge them if you’re going to make it to the roses,” Harry explained. “I’d invite you along, but I don’t know, might be a little intimidating, going outside the castle and all,” Harry sighed, looking away. Draco pursed his lips.

“If you think I’m scared then you are completely and utterly wrong. I’m not scared of plants and I’m not scared of leaving the castle at night,” Draco huffed.

“Well come with me then,” Harry invited. Draco simply stared at him. Was Harry really inviting him to wander the greenhouses? Together? Draco couldn’t do that… could he? He crossed his arms over his chest.

“I’d rather stay here.”

“Because you’re scared?”

“I’m not scared.”

“Why aren’t you coming with me then?”

“Because I don’t want to be wandering about with _you_ ,” Draco replied, trying to sound snarky. Harry shrugged once more.

“Nice excuse, Malfoy.”

“It’s not an _excuse_ ,” Draco told Harry sternly. 

“If you say so,” Harry sighed, beginning to slip the Invisibility Cloak back on. Draco firmed his jaw and rolled his eyes.

“Fine,” he snapped. “I’ll come with you.”

Harry grinned.

“Great,” he chirped before throwing the Cloak back on. Draco rolled his eyes once more.

“Potter, please, just lose the Cloak already. No one’s around except for me,” Draco said. Harry sighed, pulling the Cloak back off.

“If you say so,” he mumbled as him and Draco both made their way to the greenhouses.

\---

Over the next few weeks Draco found that it was actually not horrendous wandering the castle with Harry. Harry turned out to be quite funny in all actuality and he turned out to be, yes, a little awkward, but nothing that Draco couldn’t handle. There were parts of the castle that Draco knew and Harry didn’t and there were parts that Harry knew and Draco didn’t. And it was fun, really, as they showed each other the parts that they roamed to at night. They usually didn’t set up meetings with each other or plan on where to find each other, they usually just found each other as if there was some connection between them and they knew they were going to see the other.

It was a normal night, normal as ever when Harry was once again wandering the castle in hopes of finding Draco. He happened to pass Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom when he heard voices. He paused, listening. There was Myrtle’s but then there was another one. Harry walked a bit closer to the door and found that it was, in fact, Draco’s voice. And he wasn’t crying this time, he was just talking.

“I mean, it’s just strange, how he talks to me. Like he’s my friend. Like he wants to be friends,” 

Harry heard Draco muse. Myrtle giggled. 

“Well, maybe he wants to be friends. Maybe a little more than friends,” she went on. Harry could practically feel Draco blushing.

“No, no, he’s, he wouldn’t. He doesn’t,” Draco went on. “He bloody well tried to kill me right here a few years ago.”

“Oh, you know that he didn’t know what that spell did,” Myrtle cooed. “Besides, who would ever want to kill someone as handsome as you,” she went on. Harry heard Draco scowl.

“Do you think he’s trying to make up for it? For what he’s done? By trying to be my friend?” Draco questioned.

“Well, I really don’t think so,” Myrtle hummed. “I still think he might want a bit more,” she went on.

“How could you think that?” Draco questioned.

“Well, maybe he’s picking up on how you feel and copying that,” Myrtle suggested.

“How I feel?”

“Draco, don’t kid yourself. You know you like him,” Myrtle giggled. “As more than a friend,” she went on to whisper. Before Draco could get a word in she continued on. “You come sneaking in here every now and then just to talk to me about him, you can’t just deny it,” she cooed. There was a silence from Draco’s end.

“It’s not like that,” Draco said softly. There was a silence, and Harry could tell that Draco was thinking. “It can’t be like that.”

\---

After listening to Myrtle and Draco’s conversation Harry tried to pretend like he hadn’t heard it. It got him a bit shaken up if he had to be honest. Something about Draco’s tone, about the fact that Myrtle had even said that Draco came in to talk to her every now and then about Harry. Harry wondered what Draco said, what he thought about Harry. It seemed to be that he was accepting the fact that him and Harry were friends… or something of the sort. Harry was still accepting the fact himself. But, there was nothing else really to describe them as at this point. They talked and laughed and wandered the castle together. But, now, Harry had to get his mind off of the conversation he had overheard. So, he decided that he knew the perfect thing to not only get his mind off of it, but also to show Draco.

“Potter, are you really going to act like a First Year and not tell me what you’re going to show me?” Draco inquired as him and Harry climbed a flight of stairs. Harry just grinned and threw a glance behind him at Draco, one that made Draco’s stomach flip. Bloody Harry Potter and his smile. Draco was finding it harder and harder to keep a straight face when Harry smiled at him like that. It almost made his knees weak.

“It’s a surprise. Haven’t you ever heard of surprises?” Harry questioned as they reached the top of the staircase. Draco rolled his eyes.

“Yes, I’ve heard of surprises but it’s been ages since anyone’s ever led me to one.”

“Well, it’s a treat for you then,” Harry went on as they began walking down a hallway.

“This better be something good, Potter,” Draco went on, though he could tell that it probably was at least to Harry with the way he was acting. But then again, Draco found that Harry got excited over things that Draco wouldn’t dream of getting excited over. But then it was hard not to get excited when Harry was excited because Harry did that thing where he lit up and smiled and his eyes got really really green and-

“It is,” Harry said, interrupting Draco’s thoughts. And then finally they reached a door. Harry tried it, but upon finding it locked simply muttered ‘Alohomora’ and both Harry and Draco listened to the lock unclick. “I hope it’s still here, this is where I last remember it being,” Harry muttered as he opened the door. Immediately Draco was met with the sight of a very dusty room. He coughed, then proceeded to sneeze and Harry snorted cueing Draco to blush because Draco knew what Harry was thinking.

“Don’t,” Draco began, shooting Harry a glare. Harry had to bite his lip to keep from laughing.

“No, I won’t say anything,” Harry said. Draco sighed in relief. “But, for an ex Death Eater you’ve got a really dainty sneeze,” Harry then said, and Draco’s blush darkened. They had gone over this before since Draco was prone to allergies and certain parts of the castle were very dusty. The first time Draco had sneezed in front of Harry, Harry had paused, looking almost taken aback, before bursting out laughing. 

“Oh, fuck off, Potter,” Draco grumbled as he walked further into the room, trying to avoid looking at Harry because he was smiling that smile that made Draco’s knees weak. Draco looked around a bit, finding nothing particularly riveting about the room before he heard Harry from across the room.

“Here, it’s right here,” Harry said, gesturing Draco over. Draco walked over, looking at what looked like a mirror. “Stand next to me,” Harry instructed and though Draco was totally unimpressed, he did as told and stood next to Harry in front of a large, intricate looking mirror. The two were silent for a moment before Harry spoke up. “What do you see?” Harry questioned. Draco looked in between his form and Harry’s and snorted.

“What do you mean what do I see? Is this some kind of joke?” Draco questioned. Harry looked over at him, puzzled. “It’s a mirror. I’m looking in a mirror,” Draco stated. Harry’s brow furrowed. Was it broken? Maybe it had lost its magic over time? He looked back in it himself and he had to admit that he just saw him and Draco. He was about to give up, say maybe it was replaced or something, but then he saw it. His hand reaching out for Draco’s, and Draco’s hand reaching out for his, their fingers interlacing. He looked up at Draco’s reflection and Draco looked… happy. He looked really happy. He was smiling a smile, a true, real, full smile, a smile that Harry rarely ever saw on him. And then Harry’s heart twitched. It was working. His heart's desire, for Draco to be happy. For Draco to be with Harry. For them to be happy. Together. He looked over at Draco once more.

“You really, you just see us?” Harry questioned. Draco looked back in the reflection and was about to nod, but then the reflection shifted. His hand reached out for Harry’s and Harry’s reached back. They were standing there holding hands. Draco glanced down between him and Harry, then up at Harry.

“We’re, we’re holding hands. In the reflection,” Draco mused softly. Harry’s heart immediately stopped. They were seeing the same thing. “What is this?” Draco inquired softly, looking at the mirror, reaching a hand out to let his fingertips brush the surface. Harry swallowed thickly.

“The Mirror of Erised. It’s, it’s ‘Desire’ backwards. It shows you your heart’s desire, what you desire most. I came here when I was little, and I saw myself with my parents. I brought Ron here and he saw himself holding the Quidditch Cup. I brought you here and you saw… us,” Harry went on quietly. Draco was still looking at the mirror, looking confused but also just the slightest bit taken aback. 

Draco immediately wanted to deny it, to tell Harry that he had been lying the whole time and he really saw himself in some other scenario. But he didn’t have it in him. It wasn’t there. He looked over to Harry who was staring back at him. “What do you see now?” he questioned, and his voice was nearly a whisper. Harry quirked a little smile.

“You. Us,” he told Draco simply. Draco blinked.

“You’re joking.”

“Why would I joke?”

Draco looked between Harry and the mirror. 

“The same thing as me?” Draco questioned. Harry nodded. “Us.” Another nod. “Holding… hands.” Another nod. “Oh,” Draco said softly, looking away. 

“I’m not as surprised as I thought I would be thought judging as to the fact that I heard Myrtle say that you come in to talk to her about me every now and then,” Harry mused. Draco’s eyes widened as he looked back over at Harry.

“You were, oh my God, you were _listening_ to my conversation?” Draco questioned incredulously, already blushing a little. 

“I didn’t mean to but I just happened to walk by Myrtle’s bathroom and I heard you,” Harry began but Draco cut him off.

“Oh, you _arsehole_. I can’t believe you. You know, actually I can since this all started out with you following me around,” Draco said. 

“I’ve told you a million times I wasn’t following you around. At least not the first time I saw you. The first time I saw you I just happened to be in the same corridor,” Harry explained.

“You’re such a dick,” Draco muttered, shaking his head.

“Guess I should stop roaming the castle with you at night then,” Harry sighed. Draco looked over at him.

“I’ll really miss you bringing me to places to reveal the fact that you’ve been pining for me,” Draco teased.

“Oi! You were pining for me too! Just look in the mirror,” Harry pointed out. Draco blushed, looking back in the mirror where him and a smiling Harry were holding hands. There was a long pause between the two of them where Draco simply watched the mirror and Harry simply watched Draco. And then Draco watched their reflections as Harry leaned over and gave Draco’s reflection a kiss that was short and it looked soft and sweet and it made the blush on Draco’s cheeks deepen because that actually seemed like a very appropriate thing to do since they had just admitted that they kind of liked each other and-

“Are our reflections kissing in your view too?” Harry questioned. Draco coughed, trying to act like he wasn’t actually choking.

“Yes,” he managed.

“Maybe they’re trying to tell us something?” Harry suggested. Draco looked over at Harry who looked a little nervous but also very hopeful. Draco rolled his eyes.

“You’re so smooth,” Draco joked dryly before he leaned over and pressed his lips to Harry’s. Harry’s breath hitched at the contact. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion for both Draco and Harry. Their lips stayed like that for a moment, their bodies an awkward distance apart. But then Harry willed his feet to move and he stepped a bit closer to Draco. And Draco stopped holding his breath and exhaled slowly and shakily. Harry’s hands found their way to Draco’s shoulders and Draco’s hands found their way to Harry’s waist. And slowly, ever so slowly, Draco parted his lips as if to ask for more. Harry parted his lips in return and soon enough Harry’s tongue was sliding into Draco’s mouth and Harry was letting out a sigh and Draco was letting out a soft moan. And then they were kissing, proper kissing, their tongues sliding through the other’s mouth, their lips moving harmoniously against the other’s. 

Draco pulled Harry closer and Harry’s grip on Draco tightened. The kiss started to get a little more intense, a little more hurried because Draco was realizing that, _wow_ , Harry was actually a really good kisser and Harry was realizing that Draco had really soft lips and everything seemed just oh so wonderful in those moments. 

Draco felt something hot rush through him as they kissed, something fiery and something that he hadn’t quite felt before. He had to admit that he had imagined this before, kissing Harry, but he never imagined that it would be this good, that it would feel so… right. 

Harry felt the same way. He had thought what it would be like to kiss Draco, but he never thought it would feel how it did. He never thought that it would be so grounding.

Both of them had been through hell over the past years, and when they wandered the castle together it was almost as if they were searching for something that had been lost. But being together, being so close, kissing each other with the amount of feeling they were kissing each other with, it was like whatever they had lost they had found. It was like maybe they had been looking for one another this whole time.

Harry finally pulled away, out of breath and panting, leaning his forehead against Draco’s. Draco opened his eyes, meeting Harry’s that were oh so green and oh so dark with what looked like want. The thought sent a thrill through Draco. Want. Harry wanted him.

“You are,” Harry began, panting. “A fucking good kisser,” he breathed out. Draco huffed a breath of laughter.

“Yeah, you aren’t so bad yourself, Potter,” Draco breathed back. Harry grinned toothily up at him.

“So you’ve got to admit you’re glad you ran into me all those weeks ago,” Harry said. Draco smirked.

“Yeah, alright, maybe I’m a little glad,” Draco muttered. Harry only grinned wider.

“Well, now we have a new mission,” Harry sighed, looking up at Draco. Draco raised an eyebrow.

“And what’s that?”

“See how many places in the castle we can fool around in at night.”

**Author's Note:**

> Well, let me know what you guys thought!!! Maybe you thought it was bland or maybe you thought it was just right, who knows!!! Comments and feedback and kudos are all so so wonderful, so feel free to leave any of those!! Thank you guys so much for reading, I hope that all of you are doing well <333


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